myzaniahttps://myzania15.wordpress.com
Thoughts about life, the universe and everything.Sun, 18 Feb 2018 21:46:50 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://myzania15.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/cropped-sunset-horizon-3_tsv-trip-2016.jpg?w=32myzaniahttps://myzania15.wordpress.com
3232Japan Days: White Christmas, Freezing Boxing Day, then Mt Fujihttps://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/japan-days-white-christmas-freezing-boxing-day-then-mt-fuji/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/japan-days-white-christmas-freezing-boxing-day-then-mt-fuji/#commentsSun, 18 Feb 2018 21:30:48 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=8689Continue reading Japan Days: White Christmas, Freezing Boxing Day, then Mt Fuji]]>Hi all. The first of my scheduled posts. I hope to schedule quite a number so I can have at least a couple every week during placement.

Here’s the next Japan Trip post. Only one more after this one. Starting on Day 8 of our trip, which happened to be Christmas Day.

For Christmas, we decided we’d go to Nagano via the shinkansen to see the Japanese macaques, or “snow monkeys” as they’re known. You’ll have seen them if you’ve seen this image.

The snow monkeys were adorable and I had so much fun. It was also my first proper “white Christmas” so that was exciting.

We then went back to Toyko and had dinner at a sushi bar.

Day 9: A Trip to Lake Freezing

Day 9 we decided to go off and see Nikko, that was supposed to have a waterfall and nice lake. It also was really, really cold.

First, we visited the waterfall, which was quite cold enough.

So we warmed up with some fish cooked over coals at a stall nearby.

Then we headed off again, towards the lake. Not perhaps our wisest choice, but still fun in the end. You see, we didn’t know it at the time, but we found out later that the temperature at Lake Chuzenji was -5*C while we were there, not counting wind chill which probably made it a few degrees colder.

To get to the lake itself, we walked into an icy wind and watched as it literally blew snow sideways across the road. An experience I won’t forget and rather fun in a ridiculous way, once I’d got my scarf arranged so that my coat hood wouldn’t fall down.

No real pics here, too busy experiencing it. That and my phone battery decided to quit because it was too cold. It did that at Nagano too.

I did take a handful later though, once my phone and I had thawed a bit. In order (or mouse over for captions): defrosting selfie after the lake, mizuyokan (sweet red bean) sweets and award-winning ramen from a ramen place in Tokyo.

The experience of having ramen in a ramen bar was interesting. You don’t talk in there aside from ordering your food. You’re there to enjoy the food, not to chat. The place we went to with the three-years-running award-winning dish pictured here is, I believe, Michi. Highly recommended, though it has a bit of a wait time as the place is quite small.

Day 10: Mt Fuji

We were off again from Tokyo the next morning to see Mount Fuji. We went to a town nearby with a beach that has pretty impressive views. The beach itself is made of stones and pebbles. Below are photos from the day.

At the end of the day, we finished with another well-deserved hot meal and new Japanese experience – Japanese curry. (Second-last row, first column – these pics are randomly arranged.)

A very enjoyable day, with more to come before our trip ended.

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/japan-days-white-christmas-freezing-boxing-day-then-mt-fuji/feed/1myzania15Two macaques sitting on the edge of a path overlooking a waterfall and pool. On the other side is snow-covered rocky ground.Macaques sitting on snowy flat rocks. There is a fence area beyond them at the bakc of the pic.A tiny brown fluffy macaque walks along icy slush with rocky ground next to them.Brown tall tree trunks with small green pine leaves on branches and white-but-muddy snowThe leg of a person, covered by purple jeans and a black boot, standing on a brown path that is visibly icy.Three macaques running up a concrete path that is suspended over a water/ snow area.white snow with brown leaves on the ground, amidst rows of tall thin pine tree trunksPerson with bucket in hand, rugged up against the cold, stands on snowy rock platform with macaques at ther feet.Black water in an oblong pool surrounded by rocks and snowA landscape with snowy, rocky ground and some greenery. A macaque is in the bottom front part of the pic.Three macaques running along a concrete path, with a sturdy metal rail beside that pat. A person stands watching the macaques to the left.A brown macaque sitting in a bare brown shrub. There is snow on the ground and greenery behindFlecks of white snow sit on a black fleecy jacket someone is wearing. We're looking at the person's back and right shoulder and there is something orangePerspective shot of a robot wearing a uniform and sign, shut down for the night.A stack of small plates on a white benchA robot wearing a uniform and sign, shut down for the night.Three nigiri sushi bundles of rice with sashimi fish on top on a gold platea black touch-sensitive tech screen with menu options on it, writing says "touch menu to order" and lists options "seasonal menu" "nigiri" "side menu" etc.a black touch-sensitive tech screen with menu options on itPink sashimi and white rice with green nori (seaweed) paper on a plate. A hand holding chopsticksWater tumbling down rocks, with green and brown shrubbery nearbyA close-up of water tumbling down and splashing off rocks, with green and brown shrubbery nearbyA selfie - Clare has her Hufflepuff scarf over mouth and nose, with glasses perched just above. She's wearing a puffy black coat with faux-fur-rimmed hood, and a headband covering her ears. In the background is the waterfall gushing down the rocks.A heap of white coals sit atop a grate on a trolley. In the centre of the coals there is an orange colour from the heat. To the right side of and behind the pile of coals are rows of small whole fish, skewered through by sticks. A the back of the stall there are fridges visible and a flimsy roof supported b wooden beams is also seen.A blurred selfie of Clare, faux-fur hood pulled up and scarf around her neck. Her glasses are a bit fogged up.Mizu-yokan sweets box: a white parcel with red and black Japanese characters on it.Two white bowls side-by-side. The left-hand, smaller bowl has rare roast beef with rice, while the larger bowl has ramen noodles and soup with a slice of meat plus sprouts. A pair of black chopsticks sit in the big bowl, their ends pointing to the right.Clare's elongated shadow against the pebbly sand. My silhouette lengthens my legs, showing the backpack on my back and an elbow out to the right sideMt Fuji in the background with a container boat on the water before itClose-up view from train - Mt Fuji's green slopes and snowy smoking peak in the background rising above industrial suburbiaMt Fuji in the background stretching down to other hilly peaks, with the water before itWomble the teddy bear extends his left arm towards Mt Fuji, behind him. He is facing the camera and the pebbly beach is around him. A human hand holds him in place.Prawns and crab legs for sale in a deli marketplace in the pebble-beach townClare is squinting into the sun with the ocean behind her. Past the ocean in the background to her left is a hilly outcrop and the foreshore; past the ocean to her right is Mt Fuji in the distance.Powerlines, a wall, railway tracks and passing houses viewed from the train - mountains in the distanceView from train - Mt Fuji's green slopes and snowy smoking peak in the background, a ploughed field in the foregroundMt Fuji framed by two posts on the harbourMt Fuji framed by the dark silhouette of bushy shrubs in front and to the left of itView from the train - industrial suburbs with smoking Mt Fuji behind itfried foods in a deli marketplace in the pebble-beach townBento boxes in a marketplace in the pebble-beach townSeafood curry mixed with rice at a Japanese curry place. The curry is brown in a white bowl with traces of unmixed sauce at the edges. Black chopsticks and a silver spoon are in the bowl, handles turned to the right.Womble the teddy bear is being held from behind as he faces the camera. He is in the bottom left corner of the image, with the pebbly beach around him and snow-capped Mt Fuji behind himView from train stopped at station - Mt Fuji's snowy smoking peak visible from behind suburbiaHi there!https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/hi-there/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/hi-there/#commentsFri, 16 Feb 2018 12:05:09 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/hi-there/Continue reading Hi there!]]>Thinking lots of thoughts atm.

One of which is that I ought to schedule some posts for the next few weeks… I don’t like not posting anything but that’s what happens when you’re busy.

I have just finished my first week of placement for my final year of Masters of occupational therapy. It’s in mental health in two different settings and I’m finding it really interesting.

It’s tiring, but I’ll learn lots over the next eight weeks and it’ll be really rewarding.

MIV2018 was a blast. So much fun. I challenged myself in a few ways, participating in different social events in ways I hadn’t done during my last IV. Here’s an idea: participation pays off. I had a really good time and even won a few times at different social things – which I was not expecting. Participation would have been prize enough. Enthusiasm leads to fun!

I’m not going to lie, it was full-on. IVs always are, especially the first half. Rehearsals for six hours a day, then social events in the evenings. This time, being Social Secretary, a part of me was always busy – mentally or physically – making sure things were running smoothly. By the end of the day, I was quite tired and rather “peopled out” – unusual for me!

I loved organising the social events though. I really like being (one of) the host(s) and seeing people having fun, making new friends and participating – like I said above, it all pays off.

The rehearsals were really good – we had a really good conductor who engaged us well. Patrick Burns got us – or at least me – thinking about the music in particular ways and working together to produce the desired quality sound. We had sectionals where our assistant conductor Leonard Weiss worked with Pat and us in two halves – sopranos and altos in one group, tenors and basses in the other.

One thing I love about rehearsing and performing in big choral groups is the journey from a diverse group of voices just starting to learn the music, to a cohesive group who’ve learnt their parts and sound confident and powerful. It’s bloody fantastic and with IVs, the process only takes ten days! I remember the first time we started feeling really cohesive (for me) – I was singing along as we ran through a piece. I heard the rest of us singing and realised, “This is going to be a great performance.”

I was right.

We sang really well, if I do say so myself. We heard great audience feedback afterwards too. It was a real treat to sing the pieces – I don’t know if I can pick a favourite, but all have taken turns popping up in my head since.

Thanks, MIV2018.

(Click on the pic for a caption – they’re not in date order, just for fun.)

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/25/miv2018-festival-wrap-up/feed/1myzania15To the left of the pic is a mound of colourful coral and underwater plant-life in shades of green, red, brown, purple, yellow and blue. The top of the tank and water-level is visible on the right, with light filtering down.Headshot of Clare from side-on as she holds her phone in front of her at eye level, thumb ready to take a picture.Silhouettes of fish swim through the water, with light catching tails and bodies and fins.A yellow fish and a purply-white fish swim through the water past coral, with other blue-and-yellow Dory fish and brown fish nearbyWomble sits next to a brown guitar or ukelele leaning against a person's legs. The person is wearing jeans and a t-shirt.MIV2018 Festival Opens Today!https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/miv2018-festival-opens-today/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/miv2018-festival-opens-today/#respondWed, 10 Jan 2018 23:00:26 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=8652Continue reading MIV2018 Festival Opens Today!]]>After many months of prep, today is the day! Hooray!

If you’re coming, I’ll see you at camp dinner this evening. If not, maybe I’ll see you at the concert?

If you can’t make it or even if you can, please share these links and the flyer around. The concert is going to be really good, I can feel it, and I want everyone else to hear about that.

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/miv2018-festival-opens-today/feed/0myzania15MIV2018 Update – Six Days Until We Open the Festival!https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/05/miv2018-update-six-days-until-we-open-the-festival/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/05/miv2018-update-six-days-until-we-open-the-festival/#respondThu, 04 Jan 2018 22:30:05 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=8649Continue reading MIV2018 Update – Six Days Until We Open the Festival!]]>

Can you believe it?

In six days at time of publishing, the Melbourne Intervarsity Choral Festival 2018 opens. There’s such a lot planned. Rehearsals during the day, social events most nights. I’m excited and have been putting in place the finishing touches for my portfolio: I’m Social Secretary so I’m n charge of the fun.

Over 100 people are going to converge on our venues for the festival. As I was writing this post yesterday evening, I realised that it was pretty much a week to the hour until my first event starts. Eep!

It’s not all just games, traditions and fun. Over ten days we’re learning several pieces to then perform on Saturday 20th January at 19:30. Get your tickets now!! I’d love to see as many of my Melbournian (is that word supposed to have no ‘o’?) and Victorian friends as possible at the concert. It is going to be bloody amazing I can already feel it.

“MIV 2018 is proud to present Light the Dark, a moving musical programme offering hope in a time of global turmoil and upheaval.

The concert features Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Parry’s I Was Glad and the jewel in the crown, Elgar’s Light of Life. Conducted by Patrick Burns, featuring reknowned soloists Liane Keegan, Andrew Goodwin, Anna-Louise Cole, Raphael Wong and accompanied by the Melbourne Opera Orchestra, this concert will be a once-in-a-lifetime performance, and we hope that you will join us as we make history in the glorious Melbourne Town Hall.”

Would you do me a massive favour, especially if you’re reading this from a Melbourne or Victorian address (and/or through my Facebook) and “share the Dickens” (as one of my friends, a co-convenor, put it) out of this link? Even if you can’t go, pass the information along in case someone else in your circle might want to. Thanks heaps! I hope to see you at the concert – or at MIV, if you’re an IVer reading this.

*makes excited noise*

P.S. Take care of yourselves weather-wise! In Victoria, the next couple of days are scorchers, with more to follow later in the week (I’m very glad of aircon with MIV!). Meanwhile, in the US there’s a hell of a snow event happening atm, I gather. So yeah. Stay safe!

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/05/miv2018-update-six-days-until-we-open-the-festival/feed/0myzania15MIV2018 logo: Teal background with pink and white lettering spelling out MiV (pink and white): 69th Intervarsity Choral Festival (in pink) Melbourne 2018 (in white). Japan Days Part 2https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/japan-days-part-2/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/japan-days-part-2/#respondWed, 03 Jan 2018 22:30:47 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=8594Continue reading Japan Days Part 2]]>My Japan trip was really really fun. We experienced a lot of Japan, its food, its people, its culture. I was quite busy so didn’t end up publishing any more trip posts. But here’s one and the other one or two will be up soon, once I’ve had a chance to do some work for MIV. I’ll update you on that front tomorrow…

Day 4 consisted of exploring various places in Kyoto. A few stand-outs included Nijojo Castle, the Nishi Market, a couple of shrines and Kinkakuji – the Golden Temple.

Day 5 was the start of our Japan Rail Pass. We used the Shinkansen (bullet train) to get from Kyoto to Hiroshima and Miyajima.

Hiroshima was sobering and a little eerie. We heard many stories of how the atomic bombing affected the lives of the people.

Miyajima was quite beautiful. We visited another shrine and went exploring and looked through gift- and food shops. We finished the day with okonomiyaki from a place next to Hiroshima station.

Day 6 was a travel day. After exploring the last thing on our list in Kyoto, the Place of 1,000 Steps (or Gates), we boarded a train headed towards the snow country. We changed trains at Toyama for a wide-view train, then travelled on to Takayama. The scenery was pretty good – enough deep snow to make me a little excited. But Takayama, while pretty with old buildings, had no snow. After another train trip, we arrived at our stop for the night, Kanazawa.

Day 7 was another travel day, from Kanazawa to Tokyo. We explored Kanazawa a bit before leaving, seeing another market and some gardens (and more snow! ).

We arrived in Tokyo late in the evening. It was Christmas Eve so after finally locating our apartment, we dumped our stuff and ended up going to a Vigil Mass at 22:00. Midnight in Australia. I mentioned it briefly in my Christmas post, but it was a moving experience.

That’s all from me for now, I’ve got a busy day ahead. Next up will be my White Christmas and related exploits before a final post after that to tie things up. Both of those will be out next week – tomorrow is MIV-related. It’s ONE WEEK OUT TODAY!

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/japan-days-part-2/feed/0myzania15A woman (Clare) stands in front of a stone entranceway to a castle. The entranceway is white with grey stones at the bottom and a black roof and gold highlights. The woman (Clare) is facing the camera and wears purple jeans and jumper under a black coat, with sunglasses. She has a backpack on and is being passed by other people in the left side of the picture.A gateway into Nijo-jo Castle - the arch is decorated by gold overlay with red and black wood and has a particular curved design.Womble sits in the foreground in front of a lake at a Japanese Castle. Behind the lake there are trees and part of the castle area.A shot looking up at some Japanese text naming the Nishi market which is on a coloured background. Below it are drawings on a canvas screenA copper drum is roasting chestnuts in a shop windowHeadshot of Clare wearing a purple jumper and black coat with a hand holding an open chestnut towards the cameraSkewers of meat, probably seafood of some kind, cooking and waiting to be cooked at the marketA shrine offering box which is bright orange with green and white overlay. The box has a roof like a house and sits on an orange post.Part of a shrine. The building has a black and red roof that is shaped like a rectangular pyramid. The body of the building is rectangular and white with red accents. It has a balcony of sorts. The sky is blue and people are moving around the building at the bottom of shot.Another building at the shrine complex - a very tall pagoda which has several stories, each with a red and black decorative roof. The body of the building is red.A shot of the golden temple across the water so a reflection is mirrored there. Trees surround the edges of the shot.Golden Temple from a different angle. The top two floors are gold and shining in the setting sun. Their roofs are black as is the entranceway. The temple is still reflected in the water and a tree is obscuring a part of it on the left side with more trees behind it.A woman (Clare) stands in front of the lake before the Golden Temple. She is wearing a black coat and purple jeans, leaning against a railing. A shinkansen train pulling into a station. The front with its sub-nose is visible and it is pulling up behind a barrier.View of a station from a shinkansen window.Womble sitting in a shinkansen seat next to the window. The seat is blue with a white headrest. Womble is brown with yellow pants and a patterned top.A shot of Hiroshima from the river.The shell of a destroyed building near the epicentre of the bomb strikeThe peace memorial to the dead. It has a large stone archway with a platform running out underneath towards the water. There are flowers in front of it with a descriptive plaque to the side.A stopped clock showing the exact time when the bomb hit, as well as the date of the attack in Western and Japanese styleImage of an exhibit showing what Hiroshima looked like from the air after the bomb hit. The children's peace memorial which has a plaque, several towers and flowers.Another shot of the original peace memorial to lives lost, showing the Japanese flag and the full archway. The foreground has brown grass.Miyajima Gates lit up at night. The tide is coming in so soon they will look like they are floating in water.Okonomiyaki on a plate with a second one at right-angles to it. It's a dish with noodles, egg pancake, veggies and sauce. The sauce is very visible as are the noodles. It fills the whole plate, which rests on a wooden table. A glass of waterSnow blankets the ground outside the train window. There is a fence line with deciduous trees along it and non-deciduous trees back further behind it.The edges of large step-like features of landscape are blankets with snow, in front of a fence and pine treesSnow covers the ground and behind it stand masses of pines with a building in the distance leading up to a mountainVegetables piled high in kanazawa market - many different sorts laid out on stands with different colours like white, pink, green, orange...Fish and crustaceans in kanazawa market - crab and octopus and shrimp being the main offerings, with red and pink and grey colours.Fruit in Kanazawa market - strawberries, mangoes, grapes, mandarins and others, all set out in polystyrene boxes.A shot of the sign naming Kanazawa market. Its on the roof overhang above the market at an entrance.Snow! A hand holds icy snow while below it more snow rests on the ground.Snow on a road next to brown grassEdge of a rise, with a walking track and benches to rest while looking out at green bushes and pines.Bamboo netting or sticks holding Japanese pines in a particular shape so they don't droop.A woman (Clare) wearing glasses stands in front of a "wide-view" train. She is wearing a black coat over a pink top, with a colourful flowers-on-black-background skirt. Her hands are by her sides and she is smiling. The train is white with wide windows and a red stripe across its middle.A woman (Clare) wearing glasses has taken a selfie smiling and the landscape shot shows the snow and lake with trees and mountain outside her windowClose-up of the cross, with people before it. The arms of the cross lie within a circle which has been cut off by the top of the image.A view of the nativity scene, in a stone carved area.People, viewed from behind, are standing in a packed cathedral. The cathedral walls slowly slope up to a point at the top and a light shines above a cross.Close-up view of the nativity scene, showing the characters.2017 Soundtrack https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/2017-soundtrack/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/2017-soundtrack/#respondSun, 31 Dec 2017 21:57:54 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=4958Continue reading 2017 Soundtrack ]]>It’s that time of year again, where I compile a list of songs that mattered to me this year.

1. Think of Meryl Streep (from FAME!) – due to a powerful political moment by Meryl Streep at the start of the year that I blogged about then.

2. Bread and Roses (and maybe also Power in a Union). First one is a folk song, the second is by Billy Bragg. They reference the Women’s March and surrounding politics.

The next are a bunch of love songs that speak to me. I first listened to them on Triple J and they remind me of feelings I felt then and feel now.

3. Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)

4. Say My Name (Tove Stryke)

5. I Want Something Just Like This (The Chainsmokers)

The next one is one of a bunch I heard when watching my first Eurovision Party this year.

6. Eurovision 2017:

Running on Air (Nathan Trent)

Lights and Shadows (O’G3NE)

Origo (Joci Pápai)

Where I Am (Anja)

My Friend (Jacques Houdek)

Grab the Moment (JOWST)

Story of My Life (Naviband)

Beautiful Mess (Kristian Kostov)

I Feel Alive (IMRI)

Yodel It (Alex Florea & Ilinca)

Gravity (Hovig)

Fly with Me (Artsvik)

Flashlight (Karsia Moś)

Amar pelos dois (Salvador Sobral)

City Lights (Blanche)

Don’t Come Easy (Isaiah)

Never Give Up on You (Lucie Jones)

Next are some from the concerts of the year:

7. Te Deum (from the MonUCS May concert, Choral Icons). First time I’d heard this song and I still remember it well. From the same concert, other standouts included Five Eyes and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

8. Peace/ EquipYourself for Life, Pink Telegram, 0808, and other songs from the John Monash Peace Cantata – a highlight of the year and one I’m proud to have participated in. My only regret is that uni prevents me from participating in the overseas performance next year.

9. Pirates of Penzance (from MonUCS’ performance). I find myself humming songs from the production at times still. I’m not singling out any because they were all very good.

10. Finally, Christmas songs. This year, those include adapted versions of Winter Wonderland and White Christmas as for once they were almost appropriate. As well as “Green Book Carols”, from MIV carolling hugs and LaTUCS’ carols performance. Also the Vaughn Williams’ piece, Fantasia on Christmas Carol. I was reminded of the piece at the start of December and realised that I really had had a good year, as the last part of the piece hoped.

There might be more, but I think ten is a good starting point! Happy New Year everyone. I’m currently finishing this on a plane that’ll land back in Australia from Japan in a bit under an hour. I’ll post this then.

Keep an eye out for the rest of the Japan Trip posts this week and I hope you have a good year ahead of you. I reckon I do, but I know it’ll be busy too. MIV2018 starts on the 11th after all…

]]>https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/2017-soundtrack/feed/0myzania15Merry Christmas to Youhttps://myzania15.wordpress.com/2017/12/25/merry-christmas-to-you/
https://myzania15.wordpress.com/2017/12/25/merry-christmas-to-you/#respondMon, 25 Dec 2017 00:06:59 +0000http://myzania15.wordpress.com/?p=8316Continue reading Merry Christmas to You]]>I haven’t yet had a chance to put together a complete version of days 4-7 of the Japan trip. Hopefully that’ll occur soon. Before a “days 8-11” post anyway.

Instead I’ve opened this draft about Christmas. It was originally going to be mainly a collection of Christmas songs, as I did last year, but then I got thinking.

Christmas and other Year’s End celebrations are a collection of rituals. There are the obvious thematic ones – religious and secular. Then there are the family/ cultural ones which are interconnected but distinct.

For example, I celebrate Christmas as a religious commemoration with Mass. While the way I believe has changed as I’ve grown up, being unable to continue the tradition of going to Mass at Christmas (and during the year tbh) would feel strange. So I’m glad we’re able to do it while travelling still.

Then there’s the secular side of things. Santa Claus promoting gift-giving and receiving with the “season of goodwill” – or season of consumerism! I follow the guide of “something to wear, something to read, something they want, something they need” when picking presents to give.

And the family traditions… each is different – and subject to change as circumstances change. Though this is where one feels a change the most.

When I was growing up, we’d open presents once everyone woke up on Christmas morning. We weren’t allowed to get up before 07:00 though. We might go to Mass at 09:00 or have gone the night before.

We’d have Christmas lunch at home and probably try out a few presents. The big event was in the evening. We’d head off to Grandma’s to see all the aunts, uncles and cousins on that side of the family. There’d be backyard cricket and games, plenty of talking and catching up, a large spread of dinner and dessert, then the family Kris Kringle.

If we weren’t at Grandma’s we’d have headed up north to see my other grandparents.

In recent years things have changed a little. I’ve moved away from the family home and I have a second family in my partner’s now too. I don’t know what the future holds, but last year had the feel of a new tradition being built. Not to replace the old entirely but to enhance it anew.

Then of course, there will always be years where circumstances are just different, full stop.

Like this year, where my Christmas might even be a white one.

Christmas carols

There are more carols than the following but here goes. Favourites

LaTUCS 2017:

Songs I learnt as four-part harmonies and sang with my choir this year.

Away in a Manger

Ding-Dong Merrily On High

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Good King Wenceslas

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Carol of the Bells

Others:

Silent Night

O, Holy Night

Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep

The First Nowell

The Shepherd’s Farewell

Fantasia on Christmas Carols (Vaughn Williams, a beautiful one I sang last year)

A Merry Christmas To You (/ Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Japanese Christmas:

Went to 22:00 mass and everything was in Japanese. But the parts of the Mass were familiar, and some songs sung were carols. If I had had the phonetic writing of words instead of just the Japanese characters in front of me, I could’ve sung them as I knew the tunes.

I flew out of Australia on Monday. We started the first leg at a very early hour, then had a lunchtime layover before starting our second leg.

Plane trip photos:

Remember Womble Bear? He’ll be in some of these photos – after all he is my travel bear now.

Our first night was spent in a lovely guest house only a short train ride from Kansai Airport. The managers were very welcoming and we slept on futon mattresses on tutami matting. A true Japanese experience.

We’re now staying in a tiny apartment in Kyoto.

Catching the train everywhere has been good so far (excepting yesterday morning), though it was easier once we didn’t have to carry our big luggage around. Also, maps and even the supposedly very good app can’t account for everything. So we’ve been very grateful to the friendly locals who’ve helped us out.

Yesterday was a full-on day. We started the day by exploring the edge of Osaka, near to where we were staying and the airport. We were going to walk it when the lovely guest house offered bikes!

It was the first time I’d been on a bike in a while and I was a bit wobbly at times. But it was so. much. fun. We cycled around down the main street of the area towards the beach. There were bike paths around there and we made good use of them. I’m quite pleased with myself, tbh. Especially since I even managed to go up hills a few times. The starting was the main annoyance because I was always a little wobbly at first, the bike weaving about a bit as I tried to push off effectively.

Some context: I learnt to bike ride late, because I have mild coordination and processing problems. It was difficult to balance and stay on the bike without wobbling too much to continue, and I hated hills because they were too difficult – a problem given that the area I grew up in was full of them.

My best biking experience came when we went overseas to Holland, which is super flat. At a bike path there, I could ride quite well. That was a while ago though and I haven’t really been motivated to practice bike riding.

This year, I’ve wanted to bring my bike from my hometown to Melbourne but haven’t yet. After yesterday, I’m re-motivated.

The other activity of yesterday was to go to Nara and see the Giant Buddha and the deer. The Giant Buddha is indeed impressive. Imposing and magnificent.

The deer were cute but also pushy. They know how to get food from humans. Did you know that an impatient or upset fawn sounds like a squeaky door?

I didn’t get many photos of the afternoon at Nara because my phone died on me. I’ll grab some from others later.

I got lucky on day 3 though – my phone lasted pretty much all of the day. After some mucking around with transport details (let’s just say trains can be confusing if you’re not a local, until you get used to them), we got the right train and settled in for a journey to Himeji Castle.

The Castle itself was pretty cool. Once inside the main keep we had to take off our shoes and replace them with provided slippers. Climbing steep stairs through the six floors to the top is tricky in slippers! The views were pretty good though.

The castle was refurbished only two years ago so we could see it in all it’s glory. It’s a magnificent structure.

We finished the day with a look at the harbour of Kobe on our way home.

Their opening piece (Regina Coeli from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni) began with quite the entrance. The choir walked in two columns between the audience seats in order to get to the front of the church to perform from. I thought that was pretty cool.

There were the pieces I hadn’t heard before, sung with vocal strength and expression. Operatic choruses which were gorgeous to listen to and surprising, emotional and sweet by turns. Some of these pieces had soloists – all of whom performed very well. These pieces included the Priest’s Chorus (from Die Zauberflote), Chorus of Enchanted Islanders (from Alcina), Dido’s Lament and Final Chorus (from Dido and Aenea) and even a humming one, Humming Chorus (from Madame Butterfly).

I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I watched my friends perform after weeks of hard work. I also enjoyed singing along to some of the carols as we were encouraged to do – though only at mezzo piano volume so as to hear the actual choir. The carols were not all your usual fare – in fact, two of them I only knew thanks to the carolling gigs last week. That made it all the more fun. Carols included Infant Holy Infant Lowly, Zither Carol, Gloucestershire Wassail and others.

The choir were balanced beautifully, each section blending well (the ultimate goal) while holding their own parts in a superb manner. Each section also had its chance to shine, enabled by the range of songs chosen. For example, it was noted that the tenors sang “without hesitation … and with a wonderful lightness” as one friend put it. The altos were the smallest section of the four, but it didn’t feel like it. The basses carried the bottom range as they are supposed to, giving strength and resonance, while the sopranos were glorious on top.

Bravo, MonUCS! I look forward to seeing what you’ll do next year – and to singing with some of you at MIV. Well done!